Solar dealer locates in Oroville
source: solarbuzz 2002.8.01 and Oroville Mercury Register

A company that says it can drastically reduce or eliminate business and residential electric bills is opening a satellite office in Oroville.

Sun Power & Geothermal Energy Co., Inc. (SPG) and Geothermal Energy of San Rafael, named one of Entrepreneur's 100 fastest growing businesses in the U.S., will open its doors Friday on Gold Dredger Drive.

SPG and Geothermal Energy President Dan Thompson, from left, Vice Pesident Robert Friedman and Regional Manager Monique Gurr are pictured here in front of the company's Oroville office.

Dan Thompson, president of SPG said the sunny climate and the open space in this area is ideal for solar panels. Also, the company has been working on a 3-acre solar panel project for the local sewer plant, which will have a "ground breaking" in August.
From this project, SPG has built a base of local workers and contractors, and they have contracted other projects in the area.

"The reason we're here in Oroville is primarily because people up here have been very interested in taking advantage of state rebates for solar energy to reduce their electric bills," Thompson said. He said rising PG&E bills seem to be of more concern to people in this area than to people in the Bay area.

"A local business pays the same electric rate as a Mercedes Benz dealer in San Rafael, but the capital relationship is different." Thompson said all city and local agencies have been receptive and "easy to work with," and SPG looks forward to getting solar projects running in the next few months to demonstrate how well the projects work.

"It's so much easier to get things done here than in San Rafael," he said. Robert Friedman, vice president of SPG said rebate programs reimburse both residential and commercial solar energy projects. Other incentives include state and federal tax credits and accelerated depreciation on income tax for businesses. Friedman said they evaluate a site by determining how much energy is consumed by sources such as lights and motors. Next, they suggest ways to reduce consumption such as lighting.

"Then we try to eliminate the bill with solar," he said. Friedman said they design solar projects to overproduce electricity especially during high summer usage times. When the panels over-produce at a site, the electric meter spins backwards and the electricity goes back to the grid to be used by other customers in the area. Solar panel customers get credit for this electricity with the electric company. The customer can use this credit to draw electricity from the power grid on low sunlight days, Friedman said.

Greg Kerwin of Ann Hill Communications said a new piece of technology has made solar energy more attractive in the last few years. "Grid tie in inverters" make solar more practical because the device allows electricity to be sent back to the local power grid, he said. Kerwin, a spokesman for SPG, said inverters are about the size of a suitcase and can be bolted to a wall.

They convert solar-produced electricity from DC to AC, he said, and spin the meter backwards sending electricity to the power grid where nearby customers can use it. Monique Gurr, Butte County regional manager for SPG, will operate the office in Oroville.

Gurr said she is a local business owner, so she understands the overhead and utility costs local businesses face. Gurr will work at the office but will often be out in the field contacting customers. "There's so much overhead in small businesses, and this is a way to give them more control," Gurr said.